Street-railway switch



Patented June 15, 192-15.

I UNITED STATES ROBERT B. WOODALL, OF MALVERN, ARKANSAS, 'ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTEENTH TO J. L. PRATT, ONE -FIFTEENTH TO B.- J. GLOVER, ONE-FIFTEENTH TO W'ILLIAM GRAVES, AND ONE-TENTH TO D. E. ROBERTSON, ALL OF MAIIJVERN ARKANSAS.

STREET-RAILWAY swrron.

Application filed February 20, 1925. Serial No. 10,568

This inventionrelates to devices for oper- 'ating railway switches in which theswitch is operated by the action of the operator from the vehicle and is more particularly adapted for street railway switches.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and eflicient mechanism engageable by a passing car to throw a: switch point automatically, all portions of the mechanism being housed below theiplane of the right ofway except a movable memberlocatedto be engaged by the wheel of a pass ing car. 1

Another object is to provide car carried means for throwing a switch point so constructed that it may bevreadily depressed into the plane of the switch point actuating mechanism which is located adjacent the switch, said switch throwing mechanism being automatically returnable to initial position after pressure is released therefrom.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appearv asthe description proceeds, the invention resides inthe combinatiori and arrangement of parts and in the details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope ofwhat is claimed without departing from the spirit of the inven tion.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of this invention shown applied; the car in connection with which it is used being shown in longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the railway track of the switch mechanism employed in connection therewith;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2. 1

In the embodiment illustrated the bottom of a car is shown at 1 mounted on wheels one of which is shown at 2 it being of course understood that the other wheels necessary to support the car are provided, said wheels being designed to travel on the usual track rails 3 and 4.

Mounted at each side of the car bottom are switch point throwing devices which are exactly alike and hence one only will be described in detail. The switch throwing device 10, one of which is located at each side of the car bottom, includes a bracket 11 .here shown V-shaped in form and bolted to the bottom of car li afnd afrearwardly andobliquely extendingarm 12 having a lateral extension 13 bolted to the car bottom in advance of the bracket 11 and spaced therefrom as is shown clearly, in Fig; 1. cam carrying, lever. 14 1s pivoted at'its inner end to the lower endrof arm 12 as shown 7 at 15, said lever having its terminal '16 projecting beyond its pivotal point and adapted to engage a stop 17 carried by the arm 12 for limiting thedownward movement of the lever; This lever 14 carries at its lower end ahorizontally disposed cam 18 designed for open ng thegswitchpoint in a manner.

presently to be described.

Abell cranl .19 is fulcrumed on the bracket 11 and is connected bya link20 with the, lever 14 intermediate the length of the latter as is shown clearly .in Fig. 1. v

'Ano ther bell. crank21 is fulcrumed in a suitable bracket atthe front of the car andis connected atone end with a depressible rodl22 whichextendsthroughfthe car bottom-'andis equipped with a head 23 located in convenient position for depression by the car. operator. The other arm .ofithe bell crank 211 is. connected with theybell crank 19 by a rod 24, a coiled spring'25 also connects rod, 24: with the bracket 11 and exerts its tension to normally hold the lever 14 in elevated inoperative position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in which p0si I v is in elevated tion the depressible rod 23 the foot of position ready for actuation by the motorman.

In Fig. 2 a siding track rail is shown at 26 while the numeral 27 indicates one of the main line rails the switch point being shown at 28. This switch point is pivotally sup ported for lateral swinging movement in the common well known manner.

Disposed below the plane of the right of way and in close relation to the main line rail 27 on the outside of the. track is a pit or housing 29 in which the track carried portion of the point actuating means is designed to be located. A lever- 30 is fulcrumed on a suitable support 31 located in the pit 29; This lever is fulcrumed intermediate its ends and is connected'at its front end by a link 32 with the switch point 28 while its rear end is pivotally connected with a cross bar 33 which extends transversely of the track and projects at its opposite ends beyond the track rails as is shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. This bar 33 is mounted to slide longitudinally and carries at its ends upstanding studs 34 one of which is also connected with the lever 30. These studs 3a are designed to be located in the path of the cams 18 carried at opposite sides on the car bottom so that when these cams are lowered and the car moves forwardly they will pass between the studs 34- and the outer face of the track rail 27 and thus swing the lever 30 causing it to actuate the switch point 28 to open the switch and permit the car to pass onto the siding rails 26.

Spring projected retractible wheel engaging elements 35 and 36 extend longitudinally of the main line rail 27 and are preferably located inrecesses. 37 cut in said rails at their inner sides to receive said members 35 and 36. These elements 35 and 36 are in the form of bars and are attached at their inner ends'to a rod 38. This rod 38 is mounted for rocking movement in suitable bearings 39 carried by supports 40 mounted in the pit 29. Coiled springs 41 are arranged under the bars 35 and 36 and exert their tension to normally move said bars upward into the path of the car wheels 2 so that when these wheels pass along they will engage these members 35 and 36 and depress them thereby actuating levers 4C2 pivoted at one end to said members 35 and 36 and have their front ends offset downwardly and connected with the cross bar 33 so that. the depression of the bars 35 and 36 will operate to swing these levers 42 and raise the bar 33 to bring the studs 34 into the path of'the car carried switchthrowing device 14.

In the operation of this apparatus the motorman depresses the rod 23 thereby swinging the bell crank 21 and through the rod 24: operates the bell crank 19 causing the link 20 to depress the lever 10 into the full line position shown in Fig. l causing the cam 18 on the end thereof to engage the stud 34 so that when the car moves forward this cam will swing the lever 30 on its fulcrum 31 moving its front end inwardly and opening the switch point 28.

From the above description it will be ob? vious that this apparatus is simple, strong and durable and may be easily installed with a minimum amount of expense.

I claim A switch point throwing mechanism including a horizontally disposed lever pivotally supported intermediate its ends, a 7

link connected with one end of the lever and the switch point, a cross bar having one of its ends pivotally connected to the lever, wheel engaging elements supported adjacent to the switch, means for pivotally connecting the wheel engaging elements at their forward ends, levers pivotally supported adjacent to the opposite ends of the wheel engaging element, said levers having right angled extremities underlying the wheel engaging elements, said wheel engaging elements adapted to move the levers to elevate the, cross bar, studs extending from the ends of the cross bar, and means carried by a car moving over the switch and engaging the studs to move the cross bar laterally to oper ate the switch point.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature.

. vROBT. B. WOODALL. 

